Steve V has a interesting--if perhaps premature--post up today suggesting that Dalton McGuinty should be thinking about about who will succeed him as leader of the Ontario Liberal Party. And of course, at his place and elsewhere, a few have suggested that Dalton might want to consider a move into Federal politics-- into, specifically, the race for leader of the national Liberals. I too hope he considers such a move. A few possible issues:
1) His French appears to be passable--better than Hudak and Horwath's--but still not great. On the other hand, given the LPoC's stated time-frame for choosing another leader, he has plenty of time to bone up.
2) He's in his mid-50s, so could probably stick around for a 2nd federal election if the first one didn't pan out. And of course my long-standing belief is that, if your leader's 1st campaign isn't an absolute disaster, your party owes him a 2nd crack. You can't keep dumping your front-man.
3) One thing Steve notes correctly is that McGuinty did not perform well in Ontario's rural areas (which mirrors the federal parties performance nationally). The LPoC needs to either absolutely clean up in the cities or reach out to the countryside, and this is the one area where Dalton has come up (in this last election at least) short.
So, maybe, one strike against.
Harper would be happy.
ReplyDeleteI suppose it says a lot about the current state of the federal Liberal Party that a provincial leader government just suffered a serious rebuke at the polls would be considered a hot prospect rather than damaged goods.
ReplyDeleteMr. Trudeau is getting better with age, and just like his father has the Charisma to make all the young ones cheer for him..he is not his father, so he cannot be blamed for his father's faults
ReplyDeleteWhich riding would he run in? His brother, David, already holds Ottawa South at the federal level.
ReplyDeleteNot going to happen. The Libs want a fresh face and one that can be more ugly than harper in his/her attacks on the Tories. I'm afraid that's what it comes down to
ReplyDeleteJean Charest IMO would be ideal, although he is unpopular in quebec he has federal experience and is far more charismatic than Mcguinty
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